Benue State Police Command has confirmed that eight persons were killed in Sunday's suspected terrorist attack on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area. The victims comprised five adults and three children, according to the Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu.
Police Commissioner Details Response and Casualties
Mr. Nwadiogbu, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said he spent most of Sunday in the affected communities alongside other security personnel to assess the situation and restore calm. The intervention followed protests by angry youths who blocked roads in reaction to the killings. “We have been in the interior since morning. The network was poor because we were in the bush,” he said. He added that the youths have now agreed to reopen the road, pending the arrival of water tankers to extinguish fires.
Attack Described as Guerrilla-Style Terrorism
The police commissioner described the incident as “purely a terrorist attack,” noting that the assailants employed guerrilla tactics. “They operate in the guerrilla warfare style. Once they attack, they immediately disappear into the woods, making it difficult to apprehend them,” he said. Investigators are working to determine whether the latest attack is linked to previous killings in the area. “We cannot say for now whether it is connected to previous attacks or whether the terrorists simply wanted to achieve their aim,” Mr. Nwadiogbu added. He assured residents that security agencies are intensifying efforts to track the attackers and prevent further incidents.
Earlier Reports and Community Protests
Earlier reports indicated that suspected armed herders attacked Akpachi village in Ugboju and Otukpo-Nobi communities between Saturday and Sunday, killing several residents and injuring many others. The attacks triggered protests as youths carried some of the victims' bodies to the Och'Idoma Palace, demanding urgent government action to end the recurring violence in Benue South.
Governor Alia Condemns Killings
Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned what he described as “barbaric and inhuman” killings and directed security agencies to intensify surveillance, pursue the perpetrators, and deploy additional personnel to vulnerable communities. The governor said the attacks were “a direct attempt to sabotage the progress of our state.”
Amnesty International Demands Investigation
Reacting to the killings, Amnesty International called on Nigerian authorities to conduct an “independent, impartial and effective investigation” into the attacks on Otukpo-Nobi and Akpachi-Ugboju communities. “The attacks have already been generating fear and panic across Otukpo LGA and beyond. Government must live up to its main obligation of protecting lives and property,” the organisation said in a statement. Amnesty noted that the protests showed residents had “had enough” of recurring killings and abductions. “The fact that the protesters carried the victims’ corpses to the Och’Idoma Palace to register their grievances is another indication that it is time to urgently end the bloodshed,” it said. The organisation added that families of some victims told its researchers that several people remain missing after the attacks, while many others sustained serious injuries.
Humanitarian Concerns and Broader Context
Amnesty also warned that continued attacks on rural communities have worsened the humanitarian situation in Benue, noting that hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are living in camps with inadequate access to water, food, sanitation, and healthcare. It urged the authorities to protect lives and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
Recent Killings of MACBAN Chairman
The latest violence comes barely three weeks after the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed and killed on 26 June while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area. Police later announced the arrest of suspects in connection with that killing as investigations continued. Residents of Otukpo have expressed fears that the latest attacks may have been carried out in reprisal for the MACBAN chairman's killing, although security agencies have not established any link between the two incidents.
